Rome, Day Three

All I can say about our last day in Rome is ADVENTURE. Yesterday, I inadvertently caused Erika much undo stress, accidentally taking her places she did not want to be.

The first place we visited yesterday was the Capuchin Crypt under the Church of the Immaculate Conception. The Crypt holds the bones of the monks of the Capuchin Order, along with those of quite a few holy men. When the Church moved in the late seventeenth century, the monks exhumed the bodies of their deceased brethren and moved them to the current crypt, where they were used to decorate and embellish the alters and surrounding rooms. The whole crypt is decorated with bones that have basically been used as mosaic tiles. Each room gets more elaborate, until the last room, which features the full skeleton of a child princess, arranged with a scythe of bone in order to resemble approaching death. It was really amazing to think about a group of people so comfortable with their own mortality to be able to create such a monument.

Erika was a bit creeped out, however, and said she felt like she was covered in dead bodies, so we walked to the Pantheon for a bit of a break from death. On the way, we stopped for lunch at a small sandwich place. The waiter there was very friendly, calling us “flowers.” Erika was Rose and I was Daisy.

The Pantheon seemed much smaller than I remember. It may have been because it was undergoing restoration, and was covered in scaffolding, but the square just before it seemed smaller too. We walked around a bit, then I led the way to the Catacombs of Saint Sebastian.

The walk there was a bit arduous, especially considering the small green and black lizards that kept falling out of the trees we passed. We got to the church just in time for the English tour of the Catacombs themselves. You aren’t allowed to go into the tunnels without a guide, and once I got underground I could see why. The catacombs are basically untouched and un-restored. Much like Blarney Castle, authenticity has been chosen over comfort, something I find quite refreshing. I feel that, were the catacombs in America, they would be turned into an ATTRACTION, rather than letting them stand as simply evidence of history. Instead, the only real changes that have been made has been putting up a few chain barriers to signal forbidden passages, and to put in a few motion-sensor lights.

The reason passages are forbidden is that most of the people interred in the catacombs remain undisturbed. The bodies still reside in many of the passageways, and have been untouched even by archeologists. The bodies along the path we took had been disinterred and moved, for reasons of respect.

There are over sixty separate catacombs in Rome, though only five are open to visitors. Archeologists are actually still unsure of how many tunnels existed, due to the fact that many collapsed or have been filled. The reason they were constructed was not originally as a hiding place, though they were used as such later, but because land was too expensive to keep buying new cemetery areas. It was simply not affordable to bury people in only one layer, so tunnels were dug in the tufa, a volcanic stone that is soft to carve but becomes much harder when exposed to oxygen.

After the tour, we were led into the Cathedral of Saint Sebastian, which was built over the catacombs. Saint Sebastian was originally buried inside the catacombs, but due to the dangers of relic hunters, his body was moved into the church. In fact, the Cathedral houses not only his body, but also an arrow used in his attempted execution and a piece of the post to which he was tied. On top of that, they have a stone said to be imprinted with the footprints of Jesus, from when he appeared to Paul as he was fleeing Rome during the persecutions.

I thought it was all fascinating, but Erika had had quite enough of dead bodies. Right now, we are on our way to Venice, to experience a less macabre aspect of Italy. Ciao!

Rome: Day Two

Today we walked all around the most ancient parts of Rome, including the Forum and the Colosseum. Erika was a WONDERFUL tour guide, telling me all about Roman history as we walked about. For instance, when Spartans got married, the woman had to shave her head and dress as a man to sneak into the men's dormatories, because all marriages were supposed to be a secret. It was not until a man turned thirty five and retired from battle that he was allowed to go live with his wife. However, to retire was seen as shameful. The only virtuous death for a man was in battle, as the only virtuous death for a woman was in childbirth.

We walked through the Colosseum first. It's really interesting to see how the building has changed in compisition and use over time. For quite a while, it was used as a church, and hosted Passion Plays. Until quite recently, the floor was also intact. They have pictures of Victorians picnicing in the center of the stage. Now this area has all been excavated to show the underground tunnels.

From there, we had lunch, then toured the Forum. It's really hard to imagine that, at one time in history, all the structures we saw were newly built, and spread all over Europe. I mean, there's a Roman thatre right in the center of Màlaga, and that's a relatively close Roman outpost. It was just amazing.

In all, we spent most of the day just walking around, checking out the sights and talking about history. Tomorrow: Catecombs and Pantheon!

Just so everyone knows...

I'M WEARING CLEN CLOTHES BECAUSE MY BAGGAGE WAS FOUND. Thanks Saint Anthony!

Days Who Knows: Granada, Barcelona and Rome

This post is goign to be shorter, as I had msot of it written up on my mini-computer, waiting for WiFi, but the airline lost my luggage on the flight from Barcelona to Rome. BOO is all I can say.

Granada was beautiful, of course. We had breakfast at the hostel, and then stayed a few hours and talked with Natalia, who has been living there for a year. It was a nice, relaxing morning spent drinking Yerba Mate and talking about everything from the internet to the state of the E.U. We left at around one for La Alhambra, which was absolutely gorgous. It was huge, and intricately carved, with running water everywhere. It was a refreshing change as well to see something of a different style than the Gothic churches we had spent so much time touring lately.

We also went to the Cathedral in Granda, which was, in a word, GILT. Everything was surrounded by carved gold frames, or statues of angels or saints. It was quite a sight, especially seeing how the Morrocan influence could be felt, mixed in with the usual archetecture and themes.

From Granada, we took a night train to Barcelona. We shared a cabin with a crazy Spanish lady who was convinced we weren't supposed to be there, and who we're pretty sure stayed up all night watching her luggage to keep us from stealing it.

In Barcelona, we visited the Cathedral of the Sacred Family, which has been a work in progress for a hundred and fifty years. It most likely won't be finished until 2030 at the earliest. It was really amazing, and like nothing I'd ever seen. The structure and decoration was thoroughly modern, yet still managed to feel like a sacred space.

We also walked along La Rambla, where we saw people selling chipmunks in cages as pets. We spent a lot of time people watching, and I tell you, it was worth it. Lots of interesting (and often questionable) fashion decisions.

From Barcelona, we flew to Rome. I checked my bag for the first time, as it was just a little too big, and the airline lost it. We spent yesterday in BArcelona, then in the airport. Today we went to the Vatican, which is only a few blocks from out hostel. We went to the Vaticn Museum and to Saint Peter's Basilica, which was awe inspiring, especially to see the dedication put into each piece of art. We were both just blown away.

Tomorrow will be Ancient Rome, and most excitingly, the Catecombs!

Days Nine and Ten: Málaga and Grenada

Yesterday morning we flew to Málaga from Ireland at eight oćlock. I wasn't a bad trip at all, and we managed to get to the airport early enough to have a leisurely morning. We arrived in Málaga. directions in hand. However, the directions provided by the hostel were the worst directions of all time. Really. We think they were written, then put through an online translator, but they also failed to include the words "left," "right," or any street names. We wandered around for a good hour and a half, trying to solicit directions in broken Spanish. We finally made it there, but not without some strife.

However, Málaga is absolutely BEAUTIFUL. When you take the bus into town, the first thing you see is the ruins of a Roman theatre, surrounded by huge, tropical gardens. The whole square is full of palm trees and birds of paradise and tons of different, colorful flowers. Later, after we found our hostel, we bought a slice of watermelon from a vendor and had a picnic in the ruins. We even got to use our travel sporks!

Our hostel, Picasso's corner, turned out to be a good experience as well. It was almost like a commune. We had paella there for dinner, then everyone sat downstairs and talked, or played card games. We met a bunch of people, notably a guy from Italy, who was quite friendly, if a bit old fashioned, and two girls from Canada. They were traveling together through Spain. They had met as Girl Guides (or Scouts, in the states) and were very... shy. Not exactly shy, but very easily frightened. We aren't that wild, but they seemed appalled at our salty language, and our general manner. In response to the Flamenco show, they just said that the music was really loud.

That night, at around twelve thirty, there was a Flamenco show right down the street, something free and totally local. It was absolutely AMAZING. There were two dancers, a man and a woman, and one older woman singing. It was a tiny little place, so we, Erika, the two girls, and I, ended up just leaning against a wall in the back, watching. It was really a great experience. I'd never heard REAL Flamenco music before. It is intensely emotional, almost like singing and crying at once. The dancers took turns, whirling and tapping. It is really a SHARP dance, full of angles and defined poses. It was really something to see.

The next day we caught a train to Granada, where we currently reside. We were supposed to catch a night train to Barcelona tonight, but we had a few problems today. Mainly what we saw today was the inside of a bus, as we rode around and around looking for the train station. However, right now we are in the Maktüb Hostel, just a few blocks from the Alhambra. It's wonderful, with Moroccan style decorations and a lovely terrace, where we sat and talked to the people who run the place: Natalia, Becka, and Alex. They made vegan pesto pizza for dinner, and so far it's been basically like staying in their home. Really, it seems like a good thing we were unable to book a night train to Barcelona, otherwise we would have left the city without seeing ANYTHING, and without getting to stay in such a great place. We have all day in the city tomorrow, after which we will be taking the night train to Barcelona as planned, just a day later.

Also, it is a possibility that the birds we saw flying overhead in Málaga were WILD PARROTS. All I can say is: !!!!!

Day Eight: Cork and Blarney

Yesterday was lovely, but hectic. Erika and I woke up later than expected, and missed our train to Cork. We were really worried that we’d have to miss out on seeing Cork and Blarney Castle, but luckily, with a small fee, we were able to catch the next available train.

The ride was about three hours each way, but not boring in the slightest. We passed right through huge stretches of beautiful countryside, which allowed us to get a feel for how the country looks outside of the city. It really is just as green as everyone says, so much so that it feels like one is passing through the past. Most of what we passed was pastureland, and I’ll tell you, I’ve never seen so many sheep and cows and horses. Since it’s summer, there was also quite a number of colts and calves and lambs running about, making the whole view very picturesque.

Blarney Castle was definitely not what I or Erika expected. It was quite close to Cork itself, and in the absolute center of the town of Blarney. The bus took us right to it. At first, I was slightly worried, because the entrance to the castle is surrounded by shops selling footballs and postcards and t-shirts printed with “You always remember your first kiss…” However, once we got into the park itself, we were both totally enamored. All you can see when you enter is meadow and trees and flowers, cut through by a small stream. It was an absolutely beautiful day, and we walked through all the trails around the castle and the surrounding area, just admiring. Again, everything was so VERDANT. Half of my pictures from Blarney are of trees, or flowers, or birds.

The castle itself was also really intriguing. We’ve toured a lot of ruins already in this trip (and will tour a lot more), but this was the first real castle I’d every visited. We went through every room. I thought the banquet hall was the most interesting. It had a HUGE fireplace, and it was easy to imagine Cormac MacCarthy and his family entertaining visitors there, or firing arrows through the small slits in the walls.

Also, I found it amazing that people were living there into the eighteenth century. Right next door is a Gothic (eighteenth century revival, not original Gothic) mansion, built by a family who wanted a bit more shelter than the castle provided.

We climbed all the way to the top of the castle, of course. The stairs were narrow and winding, but not too bad. To kiss the stone, you have to lie on your back and bend backwards, so that your head is hanging down a hole in the floor. They had bars to grasp, along with someone to hold your ankles, but it was still a little frightening. You’re basically bent backwards at the waist, and you can see all the way down to the ground. Definitely not for someone afraid of heights.

We got pictures kissing the stone, then climbed down to have lunch and wander around the grounds a bit more. A few yards down the path, there are a set of wishing steps. You’re supposed to climb and descend them, them backwards, with your eyes closed, concentrating on your wish. If you make it, it is supposed to come true within a year. Erika and I both made it, so hopefully our wishes will be granted.

My favorite part was the garden behind the castle, which was populated solely by poisonous plants. There was everything from Wolf’s bane, the only poison that can kill a wolf, to wormwood to tea (caffeine) and poison ivy. The more dangerous ones, such as one that can make you sick simply by smelling the flowers, had cages over them so you couldn’t touch them. It was interesting to see what each plant, many of which I’d heard so much about, actually looked like. I took pictures of all of them, for future identification.

Right now, Erika and I are in Malaga, so our next entry will be from Spain, our third country in a week and a half!

Day Seven: Dublin

Today, Erika and I went around Dublin again, postponing our trip to Cork until tomorrow. Basically, we had intended Cork as a day trip, bracketed by days in Dublin, but we were out quite late last night and Cork seemed something one could better appreciate fully rested.

Today, we visited the Kilmainham Gaol, a jail where many of the people involved in the Irish Independence movement were jailed, both during the movement itself and during the later civil war. There's so much history inherent in the place, especially because, by the end, the prison was used exclusively for political prisoners. It was simply amazing to see, and we learned SO much. I really didn't know anything about Irish political history, really, but as a result of the tour, I'm quite intrigued and intend to read much more. It's really too much to write about.

The jail also had an attached museum, detailing the history behind its prisoners. We spent quite some time going through, and they had some fascinating artefacts, such as things people made in jail, or the last cigarette of a executed prisoner. I would say it was the most interesting thing we've seen in Ireland.

After that, we had tea and sandwiches in the attached tearooms, then headed down to the Dublin Writers' Museum. It was interesting, but unless you had a deep connection with some of the writers exhibited, it didn't mean much. I enjoyed the Oscar Wilde, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu and Bram Stoker exhibits the most.

After that, we went to a delicious dinner, then just walked around a bit and got tickets for Cork. everyone here is SO FRIENDLY and HELPFUL. I can't stress enough how warm the city feels. It's mostly little things, but everyone here is more than willing to chat, and seem to go out of their way to be helpful. I feel like we've seen most of what there is to see in Dublin, but I will definitely miss Ireland when we leave.

Tomorrow: Cork and Blarney Castle!